Vehicle windows (e.g., windshields, backlites, sunroofs, and sidelites) are known in the art. For purposes of example, vehicle windshields typically include a pair of bent glass substrates laminated together via a polymer interlayer such as polyvinyl butyral (PVB).
Insulating glass (IG) windows are also known in the art. Conventional IG window units include at least first and second glass substrates (one of which may have a solar control coating on an interior surface thereof) that are coupled to one another via at least one seal and/or spacer. The resulting space or gap between the glass substrates may or may not be filled with gas and/or evacuated to a low pressure in different instances. Many IG units are thermally tempered. Monolithic architectural windows for use in homes or building are also known in the art. Fixture windows in homes such as shower stall windows may be made of glass sheets. Again, monolithic windows are often thermally tempered for safety purposes.
Other types of coated articles also are sometimes subjected to heat treatment (HT) (e.g., tempering, heat bending, and/or heat strengthening) in certain applications. For example and without limitation, glass table tops, picture frame covers, and the like may be subject to HT in certain instances.
Germs are becoming of increasing concern across the world, especially in view of the large amount of international travel taking place in today's society. There exists a need in the art for coated articles for use in windows, table tops, and/or the like that are capable of killing germs, viruses, and/or bacteria, thereby reducing the likelihood of persons becoming sick. It also would be advantageous if such characteristics of a coated article could be combined with self-cleaning properties.
It will be appreciated that there exists a need in the art for a coated article (e.g., for use in a window, shower door, table-top glass, and/or the like) having antifungal and/or antibacterial properties. It also may also be desirable for the coated article to have self-cleaning properties. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide a coated article that can function to kill certain bacteria and/or fungus that come into contact with the coated article, thereby reducing the chances of persons becoming sick, while also being self-cleaning to reduce the amount of maintenance required with respect to cleaning the glass.
Antibacterial coatings and photocatalytic coatings are known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,221,833 and 7,846,492, as well as U.S. Publication Nos. 2012/0114878 and 2011/0256408, the entire contents of each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. As noted above, it would be desirable to combine antibacterial and photocatalytic properties. It also would be desirable to extend the life of such products, e.g., by providing more controlled leaching of the antibacterial materials from the coating, etc.
Certain example embodiments address these and/or other concerns.
In certain example embodiments, a coated article is provided. The coated article includes a glass substrate. A matrix comprising diamond-like carbon (DLC) and silver is formed, directly or indirectly, on the glass substrate. The DLC may be a-C:H, a-C:H:O, or the like, in different example embodiments. A layer comprising titanium oxide is formed, directly or indirectly, on the matrix. The matrix is structured to enable silver ions produced from the silver therein to migrate towards the layer comprising titanium oxide, and the layer comprising titanium oxide is structured to enable the silver ions migrating from the matrix to pass therethrough. The layer comprising titanium oxide may have a substantially anatase phase and be photocatalytic in certain example embodiments and, optionally, it may be doped with carbon and/or include nitrogen. According to certain example embodiments, a proton-conducting thin film layer may be located between the matrix and the layer comprising titanium oxide, e.g., with the proton-conducting thin film layer comprising zirconium oxide and potentially also carbon and/or nitrogen. A buffer layer optionally may be located between the matrix and the glass substrate in certain example embodiments. A plurality of channels may be formed in the layer comprising titanium oxide, with the channels facilitating migration of the silver ions from the matrix through the layer comprising titanium oxide, in addition to or in place of migration being facilitated by virtue of the morphology of the layer comprising titanium oxide.
In certain example embodiments, a coated article is provided. The coated article includes a glass substrate. A buffer layer is formed, directly or indirectly, on the glass substrate. A matrix comprising DLC and silver is formed, directly or indirectly, on the buffer layer. The DLC may be a-C:H, a-C:H:O, or the like, in different example embodiments. An overcoat layer comprising zirconium oxide is formed, directly or indirectly, on the matrix. The matrix is structured to enable silver ions produced from the silver therein to migrate towards the layer comprising zirconium oxide, and the layer comprising zirconium oxide is structured to enable the silver ions migrating from the matrix to pass therethrough. In certain example embodiments, the buffer layer may be doped with C and/or the layer comprising zirconium oxide may comprise C and/or N. A plurality of channels may be formed in the layer comprising zirconium oxide, with the channels facilitating migration of the silver ions from the matrix through the layer comprising zirconium oxide, in addition to or in place of migration being facilitated by virtue of the morphology of the layer comprising zirconium oxide.
In certain example embodiments, a method of making a heat treated coated article is provided. The method includes having a glass substrate with a multilayer coating and a protective film thereon, with the multilayer coating including one or more layers comprising Ag, with each said layer comprising Ag being sandwiched between layers comprising carbon, with the protective film being provided over an uppermost layer of the multilayer coating, with the protective film including a release layer and a barrier layer, with the release layer and the barrier layer being of different materials, and with the release layer being between the uppermost layer of the multilayer coating and the barrier layer. The glass substrate with multilayer coating and the protective film thereon is heat treated using a temperature of at least 550 degrees C. so that (a) during the heat treating, the protective film prevents significant burn-off of carbon from the layers comprising carbon and prevents significant oxidation of the Ag, (b) as a result of the heat treating, the layers comprising carbon and the at least one layer comprising Ag in the multilayer coating are transformed into a composite matrix including carbon and Ag islands therein and at least part of the protective film is removed from the coated article.
In certain example embodiments, a method of making a heat treated coated article is provided. A multilayer coating is formed on a glass substrate, with the multilayer coating including one or more layers comprising Ag, and with each said layer comprising Ag being sandwiched between layers comprising carbon. A protective film is formed on the multilayer coating, with the protective film being provided over an uppermost layer of the multilayer coating, with the protective film including a release layer and a barrier layer, with the release layer and the barrier layer being of different materials, and with the release layer being between the uppermost layer of the multilayer coating and the barrier layer. The glass substrate with multilayer coating and the protective film thereon is heat treated using a temperature of at least 550 degrees C. so that (a) during the heat treating, the protective film prevents significant burn-off of carbon from the layers comprising carbon and prevents significant oxidation of the Ag, (b) as a result of the heat treating, the layers comprising carbon and the at least one layer comprising Ag in the multilayer coating are transformed into a composite matrix including carbon and Ag islands therein and at least part of the protective film is removed from the coated article.
In certain example embodiments, a heat treatable coated article (e.g., an intermediate product) is provided. A glass substrate supports a multilayer coating and a protective film over the multilayer coating. The multilayer coating includes one or more layers comprising Ag, with each said layer comprising Ag being sandwiched between layers comprising carbon. The protective film is provided over an uppermost layer of the multilayer coating, with the protective film including a release layer and a barrier layer, with the release layer and the barrier layer being of different materials, and with the release layer being between the uppermost layer of the multilayer coating and the barrier layer.
Methods of making these and/or other coated articles are also contemplated herein.
The features, aspects, advantages, and example embodiments described herein may be combined to realize yet further embodiments.